Middlesbrough star Gary O'Neil has warned his team-mates to beware a Newcastle backlash this afternoon.

Kevin Keegan's Toon side will be looking for the first win of the manager's second reign.

And O'Neil said: "With Newcastle having a new manager in Kevin Keegan they will get a little lift.

"They may not have won in their first three games under Keegan, but to be fair they have played Arsenal twice. They will be massively up for this one."

However, O'Neil is confident Boro can prevail in today's Tyne-Tees derby. He added: "We are the side on the up, and the pressure's probably on them after losing a couple of games under Keegan."

Keegan took charge after O'Neil's former boss Harry Redknapp turned down the job - and the player says he always knew Redknapp would stay put.

Midfielder O'Neil, sold by Redknapp for £3million in August, said: "I think Harry probably made the right decision to stay where he is. I expected him to stay at Portsmouth because he's done such a fantastic job and seems to be building something really good there.

"He is really loved on the south coast and I didn't think he would leave halfway through a job.

"Pompey are going to go on to bigger things, especially with the signing of Jermain Defoe. I always got on great with Harry and when I left it was just of question of him deciding they wanted to take the money and spend it elsewhere. There were no hard feelings."

Boro boss Gareth Southgate is unbeaten in three Premier League derbies against Newcastle and has his eyes set on again finishing as the North-East's top club.

He said: "We got our noses just in front of Newcastle last season to finish 12th and we are aiming to be the North-East's top-placed club again this season.

"A win at St James' Park would put us above Newcastle yet back in December we were quite a distance behind them.

"But we are on a good run having gone five league and cup games unbeaten, and if we can reproduce the sort of form we showed in beating Arsenal and drawing with Liverpool and Blackburn then we have a good chance."

But Southgate's side seem certain to go into the match without £13m record signing Afonso Alves. The Brazilian striker is awaiting international clearance after his move from Heerenveen.